Sara KasimIf you live under black plastic bags pegged on a few twigs and work for a slave master from China and still manage to laugh at Kennedy Kandjii and George Kambala, may you choke on a Chappies bubblegum.
Yes, choke on it.
They have certainly arrived and been present for what they stand … or run for. They are the Namibian version of ‘The Unsuitable’.
Kandjii, a very close relative of former regional councillor Ambrosius Kandjii, is said to have organised a massive illegal land-grabbing operation in Windhoek. He ran when the police arrived at the scene to stop them but later came back, at which point he got arrested. In his own words “a leader cannot run, I had to come back”.
The camera could only see his black blazer wings disappearing among his ‘disciples’ away from the police.
Poof! Gone!
He says he was afraid the inspector general was going to shoot him. At least he’s honest and the fear is real since this police force are known to aim for the legs but hit the head.
Many have laughed at and ridiculed Kandjii in subsequent media interviews. He certainly has a lot to say but nothing makes sense at all. A journalist asked him about land grabbing and he went on to talk about ambassadors of other countries and genocide. I think the media loves him because he’s hilarious and entertaining.
Some have already called him a ‘mental case’ but I am more interested in the fact that he managed to get police chief Ndeitunga out on the street accompanied by three Toyota Quantums overloaded with mapara-para to stop him. Even Ndeitunga could not believe it when he saw the Kandjii police intelligence had been profiling.
“Ai! Is this the Kandjii you people are talking about?” Ndeitunga asked in disbelief.
Shortly after that AR’s Kambala stormed into a Chinese-owned business shouting, pointing fingers, and almost kicking the Chinaman. Kambala entered that building surrounded by his team in flip-flops, just like the Taliban walked into the Afghan parliament. He was clearly the leader of this little EFF-styled mob.
You see Kambala has been suffocating under the shadow of Job Amupanda’s big head and Namibians have started to ask what his role is in AR. But now it is clear. Kambala has that beard that reminds me of the unshaken hero Toivo ya Toivo. Maybe he is the one who cares about the workers.
I am still laughing at the bit about the employee who confessed to having been beaten, specifically on his private parts. Kambala insisted on evidence for the camera. “Show them the damage,” he said as he pointed to the worker’s groin.
I just want to ask Kambala if he really wanted the employee to undress and whip out his bruised pipes? If not, what kind of theatrics was he trying to pull?
Those who highlight community plights from a genuine place of care while making us laugh, win our hearts more than the well-educated, well-spoken and politically connected. Through these funny little moments, we are now aware of what is going on and how those issues impact us.
The day will come when people will vote for the most unlikely character simply because they are more genuine and responsive than those who look like real politicians or community activists.
Let us hope that those who are laughing have better ways to shed light on the concerns of their communities and they will act more effectively. Until then we are stuck with Kambala and Kandjii and they appear to be making things seem possible.
